Art, Craft, Design, Photo and Decor Inspiration!

Lately I absolutely love Pinterest. It's the perfect place to collect all my inspirations which find their way into my art, patterns and designs. I also share new art and designs here all the time. If you haven't found me there yet,  check out http://pinterest.com/rphillipsstudio/.

Here you'll find ......

inspirational messages
animal art
quilt and cross stitch patterns
cottage and country home decor
pillows
romantic scenes
vintage housewares
gorgeous cottages
romantic/whimsical/fantasy painters
folk artists
flowers and gardens
fabric and lace
nature photos from my travels
fairies and angels

and more!

Do you have an inspirational board? Feel free to share it here too :)

Inside the Studio

Finally, I have more pictures to share... Welcome to my new sunroom art studio and office, I love it so so much. Here is the full tour. :)

The painting in the background is Nene Dreams.  This piece is a commission inspired by the endangered Hawaiian Nene goose, state bird of Hawaii.  Next I will add a border of beautiful Hawaiian flowers like plumeria, hibiscus, ginger and heliconia around the edges.

I set up display racks by the window...

Here's where my paintings dry... I used bookshelf cabinets and bins for storage. Love all the space it creates and they don't need much wall space. (As you can see the room is mostly windows!)

Iko cat sleeps on the loveseat all day.  And he claims the other chair too.. ;)

Peeking through the kitchen window...

 

Jorellis cat especially likes my fabric and sewing table. (Update- our sweet baby passed after 18-1/2 years. Now we have adopted Gina cat, the newest addition to the studio)

Looking out to the garden...

And.. here is my office. I'm lucky to have space for it in another room down the hall.

I'm usually surrounded by my four-legged family when I work. Meet the pets of the studio here! ♥

Fall Harvest Time

Fall Tree ©2005

I love the air in the fall. Leaves flutter, squirrels scurry across the yard. Fresh apples and pears from the local farms are so delicious. Now it's time to harvest the final veggies from the garden. We've pulled the last of the tomatoes, peppers, beans and cucumbers. We'll have oregano and thyme to dry and save for the winter.

 
 And the change of seasons inspires me to create... Here are some new items I've made recently for fall! The felt I used is made from 100% recycled plastic bottles! How cool is that.

Eco-felt Embroidered Wall Hangings

New Baby Gift Basket

 The teddy bear is also made from eco-felt. I designed the pumpkin bear cross stitch and crochet hat for especially for fall babies. Cross stitch patterns based on my art are coming soon, stay tuned!

Fall Harvest Basket

Columbia River Tile & Stone makes these gorgeous re-salvaged granite candleholders and Mt Hood mosaics from re-salvaged white marble. I love how the marble looks like the texture of the mountain. Also in this basket is a print of my Crow Spirit painting.
              

Marble Mt Hood mosaic art by Columbia River Tile & Stone

See more Fall Harvest Gift Baskets on Etsy

And I made these country-style pumpkins for fun, to decorate the house. These are really easy and fun to make:

First cut an 8" square of your favorite orange calico fabric. A dark gold or light brown would work too. It's fun to make a collection of different ones!  Collect a few twigs from your yard or neighborhood, for the stems. Cut off a 3" piece. Then, fold under the raw edge, fold in each corner to make a hexagon shape, and sew around the edges to gather the fabric with a needle and thread.

When you have gathered the circle, add stuffing to fill out the pumpkin.  Loosen the gathering to add and adjust the stuffing, then tighten the gathering around the center hole, so it is 1/2" or less. Next, center the twig through the center hole, placing it into the stuffing inside. Tightly stitch the hole shut, and use a dab of glue to secure the twig at the opening. To finish off, tie a small 1" x 7" strip of brown or green fabric around the twig to make the leaves/vines.

Happy fall! What are you working on this time of year?